ADVANCE Conference Bringing Together Maine’s Women Faculty
The University of Maine’s ADVANCE Rising Tide Center will host a conference on Monday, May 14, to give female faculty in engineering, mathematics, technology and the physical, biological, natural and social sciences an opportunity to meet and discuss strategies to support professional achievement.
“Advancing Women in Academia: A Networking Conference” will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor. More than 50 attendees from UMaine, Colby College in Waterville, Husson University in Bangor, Maine Maritime Academy in Castine and the University of Southern Maine in Gorham have registered for the event.
Kelly Ward, the chair of the department of educational leadership and counseling psychology at Washington State University, will deliver a keynote address at 9:30 a.m. Ward will speak about “Female Faculty and the Academic Career: Early & Mid Career Perspectives.”
There will also be afternoon workshop sessions on diversifying faculty, mentoring, and balancing motherhood and faculty life.
UMaine’s ADVANCE Rising Tide Center was established in 2010 with a $3.2 million, 5-year National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to recruit, retain and advance women faculty in science and engineering fields. Doing so will “create a rising tide that will lift all boats,” thus contributing to Maine’s economic development.
The Rising Tide Center supports professional development with grants, workshops, mentoring and networking, provides training and improves policies affecting faculty members. By developing a regional network, the Rising Tide Center will connect UMaine to other institutions in the state, enhancing research and linking together information about job openings for scientists, academics and other professionals.
Contact: Amy Fried, (207) 581-1797 or amy.fried@umit.maine.edu; Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777 or jessica.bloch@umit.maine.edu